Derby County was formed in 1884, joined the Football League in 1888, and kicked around between the top two divisions—three times finishing second—before World War II suspended everything. When football came back, they won the 1946 FA Cup, and then it was “normal service resumed.” After a brief spell in the third tier in the mid-1950s, they were a…

The biggest rival is Nottingham Forest, which is mostly because they are only 14 miles apart but also because of the Clough connection. Derby fans weren’t happy when he signed up with their rivals, so that added a whole new level to things. In fact, the winner of the East Midlands derby gets to keep the Brian Clough Trophy, currently–and for the…

Derby County FC Women, aka the Ewe Rams, play in the Women’s National League North, tier 3 of the pyramid. Home games are at Don Amott Leisure Group Arena in Mickleover, on the west side of

Back around the turn of the 20th century, Derby had a superstar named Steve Bloomer. He scored 352 goals in 598 games for them and Middlesbrough, as well as 28 in 23 for England. There’s a bust of him, with his arms folded, surveying things from next to the home dugout at Pride Park. Well, in 1997 a couple of Derby supporters heard an Australian…

Pride Park, named for the 1990s-era business park where it’s located, has been their home since 1997. It replaced the Baseball Ground, which was actually built for baseball and so had some seats that didn’t exactly face toward the football pitch. The new home, a classic modern rectangle, seats 33,597, with away fans in the southeast corner and…

GETTING THERE: It’s a 15-minute walk from Derby railway station and a fairly nice one, with part of it through a greenbelt along the River Derwent. PUBS: Since it’s an office park, there isn’t much around for eating and drinking, aside from a Frankie and Benny’s. Along the walk from the station there’s a Harvester’s, which is a chain pub. Another…